Verizon sent FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler a five-page letter defending its practice of slowing the data speeds of some of its customers, saying in a five-page letter its practices are in keeping with steps also taken by the rest of industry. The letter cites similar steps by AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile and says the policy was “implemented nearly three years ago” to manage congestion at some of its cell sites and is “narrowly tailored.”

Despite the Wireless Power Consortium’s announcement last week that it has integrated resonant technology into the Qi specification for wireless power, the industry is no closer to a unified wireless power standard, said John Perzow, the consortium’s vice president-market development. “I wish it did,” Perzow said, when we asked if the addition of resonant technology opened the door to a unified standard down the road, but “it does not."

Carriers large and small are making a concerted push to get the FCC to loosen its former defaulter rule before the AWS-3 auction. CTIA, the Competitive Carriers Association and NTCA jointly proposed revised rules, in a filing Friday (http://bit.ly/1v3cHMo). FCC officials indicated Friday the agency will seek additional comment on the rule as part of a rulemaking, but only for the TV incentive auction (CD Aug 4 p1).

Scores of House lawmakers joined in signing two letters scrutinizing media industry consolidation. They suggested that major acquisitions pending regulatory approval should include commitments and principles to ensure that certain groups not be excluded. Comcast in particular pushed back hard and fast against any assertion that its proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable would cause problems.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s sharply worded July 30 letter to Verizon Wireless raising concerns about the carrier’s slowing some customers’ data speeds on its LTE network starting in October likely has bigger implications for other wireless ISPs as well, industry officials told us. Wheeler told Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead he was “deeply troubled” by the development (CD July 31 p1) and asked the carrier to answer a series of questions.

A GAO report on broadcaster sharing agreements issued last week (http://1.usa.gov/1nOn1nv) could be used to support arguments both for and against FCC regulation of those arrangements, public interest and broadcast attorneys told us. The report concluded that the FCC has little data on the prevalence of such agreements, and that the agency needs to decide if it must have that information to regulate them (CD July 29 p14). “Without data and a fact-based analysis of how agreements are used, FCC cannot ensure that its current and future policies on broadcaster agreements serve the public interest,” said GAO. The FCC’s lack of information on such arrangements could be used to challenge the foundation for limits on joint sales arrangements, or could serve the interests of public interest groups challenging the FCC closure of the 2010 quadrennial review, attorneys told us.

Music publishers and songwriters will likely part ways with broadcasters in forthcoming comments on the consent decree process due Wednesday, said parties on both sides in interviews last week. The Department of Justice Antitrust Division is reviewing the existing consent decrees for performing rights organizations (PROs) American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) (CD June 5 p9). The consent decrees bar PROs from refusing a license to any organization that requests one, leading to rate negotiations. Broadcasters are reaping the rewards of a consent decree process that unfairly compensates songwriters, said music attorneys. The consent decree process keeps the potential monopoly power of PROs at bay, said broadcasters.

Alabama’s state 911 service fee rose Friday from $1.60 to $1.75 per month for all wireless and wireline customers. Opponents have decried that, because the Alabama 911 Board requires the estimated 200,000 consumers in the state who use the FCC low-income Lifeline program to pay those fees. Lifeline provider TracFone and a coalition of seven groups have been trying to get the Lifeline subscriber rule removed from the 911 fee base, saying Alabama is the only state to require Lifeline subscribers to pay a 911 fee. The Alabama 911 Board adopted the rule last year, effective Dec. 31, requiring eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) to collect the fee from Lifeline subscribers, saying requiring those subscribers to pay the fee made it “more equitable” and better aligned it with state law (http://bit.ly/1qNUuAS).

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Friday circulated rulemaking notice on designated entity rules for the TV incentive auction, updating DE rules for the first time since 2006. Among the draft provisions is a proposed conclusion that the national carriers should not be permitted to enter into joint bidding relationships. Sprint and T-Mobile reportedly plan to jointly raise some $10 billion to spend in the auction (CD July 16 p 19).

Popular shopping apps often fail to provide information before download on how they manage payment disputes or consumer data, said an FTC report (http://1.usa.gov/1tCE5iT). “Consumers should be able to know what their potential liability is for unauthorized transactions ... before committing to use one of these services,” the FTC said. The survey of 121 apps also found that despite specific security promises, “most privacy policies used vague language that reserved broad rights to collect, use, and share consumer data.” If consumers are to compare, understand -- and ultimately trust -- mobile apps, companies should explicitly delineate their data collection, use and security practices, the FTC said.